Open Europe has launched
a “Brexit Barometer” to gauge the probability of the UK
leaving the European Union after the general election on May
7.

At the moment, there is a 17 percent chance of the UK leaving the
bloc.

The prediction comes after the manufacturers’ group the
Engineering Employers Federation (EEF) warned Britain’s political
leaders are at risk of letting the country “sleepwalk out of
Europe” – a warning directed at David Cameron and the
Conservatives.

“While we are beginning to persuade European partners to
reform, some political leaders here are adopting a laissez-faire
attitude that could see us sleepwalk out of Europe,” the EEF
chairman Martin Temple said.

“They must avoid being trapped by promising unrealistic
reforms that cannot be delivered.”

David Cameron promised to hold a referendum in 2017 on whether
the country should leave the European Union – if he wins a
majority in May.

A survey by the EEF of its members last September found 85
percent wanted to remain in the EU because of the access to its
single market, whereas just 7 percent said they wanted to exit.

A YouGov poll has recently shown public support for EU membership
is at an all-time high – 45 percent of respondents said they
don't want a Brexit, compared with 35 percent who would choose to
leave. This is the largest recorded level of support for staying
in the EU since YouGov began asking the question in September
2010.

Labour Party leader Ed Miliband says the UK should remain in the
union.

He told delegates at an EEF Manufacturers' Conference on Thursday
“there is no greater threat to the long-term stability and
prosperity of Britain and British business than leaving the
European Union.”

“That is why it is so wrong to play fast and loose with our
membership of the EU.”

“I want to be clear: I reject that course. It is not in our
national interest. It is not in the interest of British families.
It is not in the interest of British business.”

Miliband conceded the UK’s relationship with Brussels needs to be
reevaluated.

“The EU needs to reform: to reflect better the needs of
business, to have a budget that is spent more sensibly and to
have fair rules on immigration,” he said. “But my party is clear:
our place lies inside not outside the European Union.”

Meanwhile, bookmaker William Hill is currently offering 3:1 odds
on Britain leaving the EU by 2020.